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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. firm — a company
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. firm — decided
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. face — to confront
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. firm — steady
  13. chest — a box
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com